According to the court in Frankfurt, the airline isn’t obligated to transport Israelis if it violates the law of the country, especially if it could result in heavy penalties for its employees in Kuwait.

The drama unfolded when an Israeli passenger sued the airline after it cancelled his flight from Frankfurt to Bangkok via Kuwait. The airline’s defense was based on Kuwaiti law that prohibits any contact with Israel, a country it doesn’t recognize. The complainant’s attorney stated that he intends to appeal the ruling.

According to the court, the decision wasn’t considered discriminatory under German law, which prohibits discrimination based on race, ethnicity or religion but not nationality. In the past, Kuwait Airways received similar rulings in the US and Switzerland.

“It is unacceptable that a foreign company operating on the basis of deeply anti-Semitic national laws should be allowed to do business in Germany,” the Central Council of Jews in Germany stated. “We urge the federal government to examine all legal avenues to prevent such cases of discrimination in the future.”